114 STATE HOETICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



having soil well prepared. I would prefer to have trees taken up and 

 heeled inclose to where I want to set in the fall, then I can set as early 

 in spring as the soil will do to work. In setting, would prefer to set 

 two inches deeper than they were in nursery, firmly packing earth 

 around roots and fibers. The firmer the earth is packed around the 

 roots the better success you will have with your trees living. Now 

 we come to the cultivation. If your soil is rich, which it should be, 

 you can cultivate for three years ; if it is poor, you can cultivate for 

 six or seven years. If your soil is rich, plum trees will grow very fast 

 and will get so large that you cannot cultivate after three years. You 

 can cultivate with potatoes and such vegetables until your trees are too 

 large and then sow down to clover. As to varieties, every man 

 should use his own judgment as to whether he wants them for home 

 or commercial use. If it were possible I would advise those setting 

 an orchard to set them as close to their chicken run as they can get 

 them, for I think they will have much better success when so planted. 



JNow, as to cherries ; I would set them 16x20 feet or 20x20, if I 

 had plenty of room. I have set them closer, but find they do not do 

 so well as when set farther apart. I would set in better soil if I had 

 it than I do the plum, for the cherry makes a very slow growth. In 

 setting, would use the same care as in setting the plum. I would cul- 

 tivate the ground to small fruits and vegetables for four or five years, 

 keeping the ground well manured so as to promote as rapid a growth 

 as possible. The better condition you keep your soil in, the better will 

 be your fruit when your trees come into bearing. You cannot expect 

 to have fine trees and fine fruit if you do not put something back on 

 the soil for your trees to live on. Just as well say that a man can work 

 day after day on half rations. You will meet with nurserymen and 

 fruit agents who will tell you that you have just the soil for the plum 

 and cherry, when they know that you are throwing your money and 

 time away to plant in such soil. You may plant trees on poor soil and 

 if you have not got manure enough to give your trees to keep them 

 growing, you will never have an orchard that is any account. I will 

 venture to assert that there are more orchards lost by planting in poor 

 soil and giving them nothing to live on than from all other causes com- 

 bined. 



Now, as to varieties ; I would plant, if for home use, early and late 

 varieties, but if I were planting a commercial orchard In this climate 

 I would plant but one variety and that would be early. In cultivating 

 the first three or four years I would be very careful to keep the trees 

 well pruned, giving them good shape and leaving them thin enough iu 

 the branches to give them plenty of air and sunshine. 



